Zach Britton seized what Jake Arrieta could not: his opportunity to prove to Buck and the Orioles organization that he still has what it takes to compete at the big league level.
Zach surprised just about everyone by shutting down one of the most potent offenses in the game, as well as out-dueling the 200 million-dollar man Justin Verlander.
After being called up for a spot start, Britton reminded every O’s fan why he was once thought of as the leader of the “Cavalry”. The strong lefty went for 5.1 innings, only allowing one earned on a solo shot by Matt Tuiasosopo. Zach had his sinker working, pounding the bottom of the zone, and making the Tigers line-up consistently roll over top the ball (9 ground ball outs).
It is no surprise that when Britton’s sinker is working he can dominate opposing hitters. Just like Brian Matusz and Arrieta, Zach has shown flashes of brilliance, but has always been considered the best of the three. The Orioles can only hope that some aging and a stint in the minors has helped Zach put it all together.
Not only would it be great for Zach to help provide some stability as the fifth man, but his success could lead to something all Orioles fans have been hoping for…a front-line starter.
With Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy off the board, there aren’t too many prospects other teams would be interested in other than maybe Jonathan Schoop. Schoop alone is not talented enough for the Orioles to draw in the potential arms they are looking for, and putting together a package of AAAA pitchers won’t cut it either.
Though if Britton is able to live up to his expectations, and put together a few good starts from now until late July, the Birds might just have a package worth considering.
It may sound wrong to be cheering for a guy to perform well so that we can ship him off in a trade, but if the Orioles want to bolster their rotation, they are going to have to offer a strong prospect in return – not to mention if he does perform well it will also benefit the Orioles in their pennant chase.
Everyone knew that all four in the “Cavalry” wouldn’t work out (Britton, Arrieta, Chris Tillman, and Matusz), and some would have to be traded. For Arrieta, all his potential value has been lost on the market, and it would be a shame to wait until Zach’s time runs out.
The Orioles have Gausman, Bundy, Eduardo Rodriguez, Mike Wright, and now Hunter Harvey to look forward to, so letting go of Zach wouldn’t rock the boat. Plus, if the Orioles were to grab a top tier starter, I don’t think anyone would mind.
So here’s to hoping Zach Britton can put it all together, and maybe help the Orioles in one way or another!
